The English Premier League and the La Liga might have much more to offer; however, the Bundesliga is very unique and it unique structure is what makes it the best league in the world.
Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Barcelona- these are six clubs which are household names around the world. Nowadays, even Manchester City can stake a claim. These clubs have the power to leave fans in awe and to win numerous titles (feel free to enter Arsenal and Liverpool jibes here though.) However, when one watches a Bundesliga team, one wants to become a fan of it.
The sour truth of the game of football is that football is after all a business. Fans pay the price for the tickets which make the sport feel at-least somewhat fan-oriented. However, only in the Bundesliga can a fan truly feel that they are oriented with a club. First and foremost, their club isn’t owned by a Russian billionaire or by a rich Sheikh. The fans themselves own part of their clubs.
Of-course there are certain exceptions to the 50+1 rule which does not allow any owner to own more than 49% of a club. Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg are the ones who do not fall under the rule and some might argue that Hoffenheim have found a way around the rule with Dietmar Hopp providing a considerable amount of funding despite not owning the entire club.
Fans are so associated with their clubs that fans and clubs have regular meetings in which they speak of their wishes. Moreover, the environment in each and every stadium is just exceptional and this also draws fans to games. Also, the ticket prices are comparatively cheap in Germany than around the rest of Europe’s big leagues which ensures fewer dignitaries and more fans in the stadiums.
Testament to the Bundesliga’s fan culture is that every year, the Bundesliga continues to break its own record of the average number of fans in stadiums over a whole season. Empty seats are a rare sight in German football. The footballers themselves are respected individuals.
What makes it easier for fans to associate with the clubs is that most talents out on the pitch are either home-grown or German. Even Bayern München usually has five academy players (Mueller, Schweinsteiger, Lahm, Kroos and Badstuber) in their starting line-up itself. Germany rarely has a ‘big’ transfer season. This time, Bayern was responsible for a resounding one-third of the league’s spending and yet they spent about 40 million euros or so.
The most common insult thrown at the Bundesliga is that only one of its teams is a consistent performer at the very top level of European football. Even this is starting to change with Schalke performing outstandingly in last season’s UEFA Champions League. Bayer Leverkusen and Dortmund have to do well this season though to really put that jibe to rest.
A league is made up of 18 or 20 teams and not just one or four. The Bundesliga’s performance in the Europa League has been great over the couple of years proving that the league doesn’t just consist of four brilliant teams.
Another common jibe is that Bayern seems to win the title every year. Again, this isn’t true. Bayern wins the title every other year with another team taking the league by storm in the odd years. The Bundesliga has had four different champions in between 2007 and 2011 (Stuttgart in 07, Wolfsburg in 09, Dortmund in 011, and Bayern in 08 and 010).
Also, in the Premiership, there is a saying that any team can beat any other team. This is true- however, it doesn’t happen every weekend. In La Liga, Barca and Real Madrid dominate each year even though Levante has been a bit of a surprise package this year. In the Bundesliga, no result is a surprise. Any team can actually beat any opposition. Going back to last season, Dortmund was beaten by 16th placed Mönchengladbach.
Leverkusen suffered at the hands of Gladbach as well. Bayern was beaten by a whole host of teams from Kaiserslautern to Köln. Schalke was absolutely torn apart on a number of occasions and was nowhere near the European spots.
This season, Hanover has already beaten Bayern. Dortmund has already lost to newly promoted Hertha Berlin. Gladbach, last season’s play-off survivors, is competing for a European spot and Leverkusen sits in eighth. Mainz, who finished fifth last season, is in fifteenth spot while Stuttgart’s consistency has seen them sixth in the table.
The top four looks predictable with Bayern, Schalke, Dortmund and Werder. However, in the Bundesliga, matters are rarely settled till the final match-days.
And after all this, there is the football- Bundesliga sides love to attack. The natural game of most sides is to attack. Defending sometimes seems to be a lost art. Spectacular goals are scored every weekend- also easy chances are given away. Rarely is a game dire to watch.
As a result, the Bundesliga is a great league to be associated with. Sometimes, people who criticize the league should come and watch a game. May be they will come back for more.
The sour truth of the game of football is that football is after all a business. Fans pay the price for the tickets which make the sport feel at-least somewhat fan-oriented. However, only in the Bundesliga can a fan truly feel that they are oriented with a club. First and foremost, their club isn’t owned by a Russian billionaire or by a rich Sheikh. The fans themselves own part of their clubs.
Of-course there are certain exceptions to the 50+1 rule which does not allow any owner to own more than 49% of a club. Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg are the ones who do not fall under the rule and some might argue that Hoffenheim have found a way around the rule with Dietmar Hopp providing a considerable amount of funding despite not owning the entire club.
Fans are so associated with their clubs that fans and clubs have regular meetings in which they speak of their wishes. Moreover, the environment in each and every stadium is just exceptional and this also draws fans to games. Also, the ticket prices are comparatively cheap in Germany than around the rest of Europe’s big leagues which ensures fewer dignitaries and more fans in the stadiums.
Testament to the Bundesliga’s fan culture is that every year, the Bundesliga continues to break its own record of the average number of fans in stadiums over a whole season. Empty seats are a rare sight in German football. The footballers themselves are respected individuals.
What makes it easier for fans to associate with the clubs is that most talents out on the pitch are either home-grown or German. Even Bayern München usually has five academy players (Mueller, Schweinsteiger, Lahm, Kroos and Badstuber) in their starting line-up itself. Germany rarely has a ‘big’ transfer season. This time, Bayern was responsible for a resounding one-third of the league’s spending and yet they spent about 40 million euros or so.
The most common insult thrown at the Bundesliga is that only one of its teams is a consistent performer at the very top level of European football. Even this is starting to change with Schalke performing outstandingly in last season’s UEFA Champions League. Bayer Leverkusen and Dortmund have to do well this season though to really put that jibe to rest.
A league is made up of 18 or 20 teams and not just one or four. The Bundesliga’s performance in the Europa League has been great over the couple of years proving that the league doesn’t just consist of four brilliant teams.
Another common jibe is that Bayern seems to win the title every year. Again, this isn’t true. Bayern wins the title every other year with another team taking the league by storm in the odd years. The Bundesliga has had four different champions in between 2007 and 2011 (Stuttgart in 07, Wolfsburg in 09, Dortmund in 011, and Bayern in 08 and 010).
Also, in the Premiership, there is a saying that any team can beat any other team. This is true- however, it doesn’t happen every weekend. In La Liga, Barca and Real Madrid dominate each year even though Levante has been a bit of a surprise package this year. In the Bundesliga, no result is a surprise. Any team can actually beat any opposition. Going back to last season, Dortmund was beaten by 16th placed Mönchengladbach.
Leverkusen suffered at the hands of Gladbach as well. Bayern was beaten by a whole host of teams from Kaiserslautern to Köln. Schalke was absolutely torn apart on a number of occasions and was nowhere near the European spots.
This season, Hanover has already beaten Bayern. Dortmund has already lost to newly promoted Hertha Berlin. Gladbach, last season’s play-off survivors, is competing for a European spot and Leverkusen sits in eighth. Mainz, who finished fifth last season, is in fifteenth spot while Stuttgart’s consistency has seen them sixth in the table.
The top four looks predictable with Bayern, Schalke, Dortmund and Werder. However, in the Bundesliga, matters are rarely settled till the final match-days.
And after all this, there is the football- Bundesliga sides love to attack. The natural game of most sides is to attack. Defending sometimes seems to be a lost art. Spectacular goals are scored every weekend- also easy chances are given away. Rarely is a game dire to watch.
As a result, the Bundesliga is a great league to be associated with. Sometimes, people who criticize the league should come and watch a game. May be they will come back for more.
